Soave

For the next few days expect a detailed journey of my most recent trip to Italy…

Just got back from Italy and what a trip it was! My daughter, Caitlin (our staff photographer) accompanied me on a 10-day trip throughout the Northern and Central parts of Italy. We arrived in Venice where my son, Sam met us at the airport. From the airport we went to the area of Soave in the Veneto. We met with Giovanni Ponchia, the enologist of the white wine Soave. Giovanni took us atop the Soave hills to view the entire land of vineyards. The weather was cool but the sun was strong and the hills of Soave looked magnificent.

We proceeded to lunch at Locanda Lo Scudo. The food was delectable, as well as the wine, which was Soave, of course!

After lunch Giovanni took to the road to show us the different soil composition, from black volcanic soil to the white chalky soil.

We met with the makers of Suavia, a company run by a family of sisters. Their wines are some of the best in Soave and were treated to our own private tasting with one of the sisters.

One of the highlights of the tasting was the Recioto di Soave. This is a passito made from the Garganega grapes using only the top of the bunch, which gets the most exposure to the sun. The grapes are allowed to dry four to six months before pressing. This is available in our wine shop and is the perfect ending to a great meal as a dessert wine.

After leaving Suavia we went to visit Caseifico Gugole who produces one of the DOP cheeses of the Veneto, Monte Veronese (available at Di Palo’s). It is a traditional cow’s milk mountain cheese with a pungent and slight piccante flavor. He was very proud of his caseifico and it was a joy to experience his passion.

As the sun was setting we said our goodbyes to Giovanni and headed east to Friuli-Venezia Giulia to Giorgio Colutta’s agriturismo where we stayed while in Friuli.

Until tomorrow,
Lou Di Palo